Oakton receives sustainability award

Oakton Community College accepted the Illinois Green Economy Network College Leadership and Sustainability Award at its regular meeting Tuesday.

The award recognizes Oakton as "an outstanding example of a college that embodies the collaborative spirit of the network by leading by example, sharing expertise and resources, and contributing to the collective impact our network has across the state."

Recent sustainability efforts include launching a new environmental studies concentration, preservation and restoration of campus natural areas, diversion of more than 36 percent of waste from landfills, and a student-led initiative to use refillable water containers and eliminate the sale of single-use plastic water bottles on campus.

The college plans to install a new solar array it its Skokie campus in addition to an electric vehicle charging station at the Des Plaines campus during the summer months.